Cost-cutting will put lives at risk - Burstow

5.58.35pm GMT Tue 10th Oct 2006

Paul Burstow, MP for Sutton and Cheam, has referred to cost-cutting measures instigated at St Helier hospital as "both dangerous and daft".

Burstow commented after learning that staff at St Helier have been advised that patients will no longer be served hot meals at lunchtime in order to save money. The change to meal provision comes as part of a raft of cost-saving measures undertaken to balance the Hospital's budget.

Other cuts include:

• A reduction in weekend cleaning services of public areas;

• Office staff being asked to clean their own workspace and empty their own bins; and

• Patients outside the Accident and Emergency ward no longer being provided with pyjamas.

The Epsom and St Helier NHS trust, which is responsible for the management of the hospital, is being forced to find £20 million over the next two years to resolve deficit problems.

Commenting on the news, Paul Burstow MP said: "These proposals are both dangerous and daft. They represent the very worst sort of false economy."

"Good food in hospital can play an important part in recovery and with growing concerns about patients being malnourished in hospital it must be a cause for concern that St Helier is abandoning a hot meals service."

"With reports of superbug Clostridium Difficile rising by 50% at St Helier over the last year cutting back on cleaning sends all the wrong signals to the public and staff working at the hospital."